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Life Well Lived: Rebecca Lipkin

TODAY, I ATTENDED memorial service for a friend, Rebecca Lipkin, who died a week ago today from inflammatory breast cancer at the age of 48.

Too young, you may think, and she was. But in such a short lifespan, she accomplished so much, as this obituary details. When she died, she was Director of Programming at Al-Jazeera English, which she had helped found only a few years ago. Before that, she was a longtime producer for ABC News, where she was responsible for major pieces for "World News Tonight" and "Nightline." She not only saw the world -- particularly spots of conflict and controversy -- but she interpreted and showed those places and the people in them to the rest of America.

She also cultivated friendships with so many people in many corners of the world. That's why large numbers of friends turned out today, at her burial in New York two days ago and on an online tribute page devoted to her. I won't summarize what they all said, except to say that these were not just names in her Rolodex but people whom she touched and inspired with humor and wit.

I can't imagine how hard it has been for her mother and siblings to see her go. This is a very close family, and they all adored and admired her. But it must be gratifying in some way for them to see Becca's legacy: the countless people who profitted from knowing her and from all she gave to the world.

Becca's was a life extraordinarily well lived, and the stories people told about her today made the memorial service a joyful experience -- even if the reason for being there wasn't so joyful. Imagine if she'd had even a few years more.... Still, we were all lucky to have gotten what we did from the life she did live.

Jeff, I just found out about the passing of Becca yesterday. I can not even begin to put into words the sorrow I feel for her family and friends, as I feel I lost a friend too. It was hard not to feel that way once you've met Becca. In 15 minutes, she had your story, and you knew it was in good hands. She inspired me not just live life, but live life well. I think we can all say that having known her.